10 Robert Downey Jr. Movies That Are Insanely Popular

From Chaplin to Ironman, Robert Downey Jr. movies are highly entertaining and are super successful at the box-office. He is the man who has turned his troubles into golden success. Hollywood’s very own phoenix who has risen from the ashes of absurdity. From his early days as a charming heartthrob in ’80s classics to his iconic portrayal of Tony Stark, RDJ’s career has been a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions.

With a rap sheet that rivals his on-screen alter ego, Downey has faced more ups and downs than a malfunctioning elevator at Stark Industries. Yet, through it all, he’s emerged as the poster child for redemption, proving that even a troubled genius can find his way back to the limelight.

Off-screen, RDJ’s life has been a whirlwind of eccentricity and charm, akin to a Shakespearean comedy with a dash of Hollywood glitz. Whether he’s cracking jokes on talk shows or indulging in his love for gadgets and gizmos, RDJ’s off-screen persona is as captivating as his on-screen performances. With a flair for the dramatic and a heart as big as his ego, Robert Downey Jr. continues to defy the odds and charm audiences around the globe, one quip at a time. Here are Top 10 Robert Downey Jr’s most popular movies.

Ranking Top 10 Robert Downey Jr. Movies

• 10. HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (1995)
  
  After losing losing her job, Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter), a single mother travels to Baltimore to spend Thanksgiving with her dysfunctional family. RDJ plays the role of “Tommy” who is Claudia’s younger brother. He is goofy, annoying and loveable at the same time.
  
  Every scene of RDJ’s with Holly Hunter is worth re watching. The scene when Tommy makes fun of Claudia and she angrily gets off the car is hilarious. And my favorite scene is the one when he brings lunch for Claudia after an argument with their mother. All the characters are well written and it’s the overall cast that makes this story so engaging.
  
  On one hand Claudia’s is dealing with her parents who are alone and then she has her sardonic brother, an overdramatic sister, eccentric aunt, brother in law, friends etc. to deal with. This isn’t your typical run of the mill feel good holiday movie. It has heartbreak, tragedy, betrayal, laughter and disappointment. Directed by Jodie Foster this is one of my favorite holiday movie and it’s Robert Downey Jr’s most relaxed performance.
  
• 9. WONDER BOYS (2000)
  
  Directed by Curtis Hanson and written by Steve Kloves, this movie is based on 1995 novel by Michael Chabon. It’s a story about a middle aged English professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas), who is writing his second novel, “The Wonder Boys”. He is been stuck with a writers block for years and he is having an affair with his married boss Sara Gaskell (Frances McDormand). (Toby Maguire) plays James Leer, who is Grady Tripp’s pupil, he has a fascination with writing stories about dead film stars. (Robert Downey Jr.) plays the role of Terry Crabtree who is the book publisher.
  
  What I love about Wonder Boys, is it’s dry humor and crazy imagination. The situation in this story is hardly realistic but it still kept me glued. When James and Grady shoot Sara’s blind dog and steal the coat that Marilyn Monroe was married in, they become partners in crime. This incident leads to the further spiral of a comic frenzy.
  
  In midst of this Terry Crabtree, the flamboyant homosexual, is searching for a comeback novel from Grady Tripp, who is stuck for 7 years. Wonder Boys is one of the unconventional comedy movie which deserves more views.
  
  Acting by RDJ is flawless and he makes every scene memorable. I’m sure director Curtis Hanson must’ve seen his performance in “Home For The Holidays” before casting him as the charming book publisher. Also Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire give one of their finest performance in this wild comedy. This is a must watch for all the cinephile.
  
• 8. HEART AND SOULS (1993)
  
  A supernatural comedy about a businessman Thomas Riley (Robert Downey Jr.) who helps the souls of four dead people, his guardian angels from childhood, to fulfil their unfinished business on earth. In San Francisco 1959, four strangers, Penny, Harrison, Julia, and Milo embark on the trolleybus, whose driver is Hal. On the way Hal gets distracted by a lady in another car and he accidently crashes the bus of an overpass, killing everyone onboard.
  
  During this incident, Frank Riley is driving his pregnant wife Eva to the hospital. Fortunately, he escapes the crash but Eva delivers their baby in the car. From this day, the souls of the four passengers is tied to the baby, who is Thomas Riley. Over the years Thomas gets acquainted to the ghosts of these four strangers but his family is deeply concerned about his weird communication with these souls.
  
  Thirty four years later Thomas starts seeing these souls again and he loses his sense of reality. He undergoes psychotherapy to convince himself that all of this is just his imagination. After few funny encounters he accepts the reality and agrees to help. The story is well written and even though it’s fictional it never looses the human connection.
  
  Penny is looking to reconcile with his children, Julia wants to know about her boyfriend whose marriage proposal she rejected, Milo wants to return the stamp album that he stole and Harrison wants to overcome his fear of becoming a public singer. The comic scenes in the movie are well written and it made be laugh like crazy. In fact every time a soul enters Thomas’s body and he starts acting like them, it’s truly hilarious.
  
  By helping these souls Thomas overcomes his fear of abandonment and makes up with his estranged girlfriend Anne. Directed by Ron Underwood, written by Gregory Hansen, Erik Hansen and Brent Maddock, this is a beautiful fantasy movie that I can re watch anytime.
  
• 7. A SCANNER DARKLY (2006)
  
  Directed by Richard Linklater, this movie is based on the 1977 novel by Philip K. Dick. This is a story about an undercover agent Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves), who is on a task to investigate the people involved in the drug trade of “Substance D”. Arctor is living with this two housemates, James Barris (Robert Downey Jr.) & Ernie Luckman (Woody Harrelson) who are drug addict. The three of them spend most of the time taking “Substance D” which makes them go paranoid.
  
  During the investigation, Arctor meets Donna Haetrone (Winnoa Ryder) who is the supplier for “Substance D” and it’s through her Arctor wants to get to the real manufacturer of this crazy drug. However, this undercover mission backfires when Arctor gets addicted to the drug. The movie talks about identity and deceit in a futuristic dystopian world, where humans are under 24/7 police surveillance and in a middle of drug addiction pandemic.
  
  In this supporting role RDJ keeps the humor intact even though the plot seems to tragic. All his scenes with Woody Harrelson are epic, especially the ones when they are stoned. Their pseudo philosophical talks which are sometimes stupid but not entirely false, often made me wonder about the reality of life.
  
  Director Richard Linklater, didn’t want to make this into a big budget movie as this would shift the focus from the plot. Made under the budget of $ 10 Million, this anime movie is way too cool.
  
• 6. TROPIC THUNDER (2008)
  
  
  
  Directed by Ben Stiller, this action comedy stars some of Hollywood’s best actors. Tom Cruise, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Bill Haider, Steve Coogan, Matthew McConaughey, Jon Voight, etc. This is a movie within a movie.
  
  This is a story about a film which is being made on Vietnam Veteran John “Four Leaf” Tayback’s memoir named Tropic Thunder. Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) is the director and on “Four Leaf’s” advice he drops the cast of this film into the middle of the jungle, with hidden cameras, rigged bomb explosions, and fake guns. Ouch!
  
  Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) is the actor whose movies aren’t doing well at box office, Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) is playing a role of a comedian who is a drug addict and then we’ve Kirk Lazarus (RDJ) a five time academy winning method actor, who is playing a role of African American. I know it’s bananas!
  
  Every character in this movie is flawed and that’s what makes every scene hilarious. Kirk Lazarus refuses to break his character even when they aren’t filming, Damien Cockburn is unable to control the weird cast, Les Grossman; the short tempered studio executive, doesn’t care even if the cast gets kidnapped by real militants in the jungle.
  
  What really works for this movie is it’s plot and the complete lack of self consciousness of these big actors.
  The entire cast has done a great job and the jokes land perfectly in every scene. Yes some may find it a bit offensive but that’s the satire I’d say. RDJ shines in this comedy and he made me laugh the most. This is surely one of the best comedy film of all time.
  
• 5. KISS KISS BANG BANG (2005)
  
  This is a dark comedy that pairs Robert Downey Jr. with Val Kilmer in a witty and twisty neo-noir tale. Hark Lockhart (Robert Downey) is a petty thief who inadvertently wins a screen test in New York city and is sent to Hollywood to train with a private investigator Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) for his role.
  
  The story gets complex when Hark goes to LA and he finds himself embroiled in a middle of a murder investigation along with his high school sweetheart Harmony Lane (Michelle Monaghan). As the plot gets thrilling, Hark gets paranoid and clueless and Gay Perry, who is initially unware about the murder, thinks Hark is taking this act way too far. RDJ effortlessly plays the role of a loveable loser who is accidently involved in this insane drama.
  
  Though the movie tanked at box-office, RDJ”s performance was highly appreciated.
  
• 4. SHERLOCK HOLMES (2009)
  
  The first time when I heard that RDJ is about to play Sherlock Holmes, I was excited to see how he’ll play this iconic character. Clearly Downey has a charisma that is akin to Holmes and this part looks tailor made for him. Directed by Guy Ritchie, this period drama is a blockbuster hit.
  
  In 1890 London, Lord Blackwood, a serial killer, who was sent to gallows by Holmes, returns from the grave and all hell breaks loose. Irene Adler (Rachael McAdams), a former adversary of Holmes, asks him to track a man named Luke Reordan, on her visit. Shockingly, Reordan is found dead in Blackwood’s coffin and this leads Holmes and Watson (Jude Law) to a chase filled with action.
  
  The pacing of the story is perfect and it keeps the momentum till the end. Elements of realism, science, and magic are cleverly woven in the story; and that’s what makes this a enjoyable thriller. RDJ as Sherlock Holmes is a treat to watch and he doesn’t shy away from playing this flawed character. He is sharp, witty, humorous and a complete badass.
  
  The script, direction and acting by the entire cast is impeccable and at no point I felt bored. In 2011, RDJ reprised his role as Sherlock Holmes, in the second instalment of this series which was titled, Sherlock Holmes: A game of Shadows. I implore you to not miss this movie at any cost.
  
• 3. CHAPLIN (1992)
  
  Directed by the legendary Richard Attenborough, this movie tells the tale of an elderly Chaplin who is discussing his autobiography with his editor, and reminiscing about his journey from a poor childhood to a global success.
  
  Attenborough does a great job of showing the private side of Chaplin that as an audience I barely got to see. He boldly talks bout the politics, socio economic background and Chaplin’s notorious love life. I think when you’ve a character that’s immensely popular and controversial, it gets hard to put everything in one movie. I’m sure if Chaplin was made into a T.V series today it’d have been a huge success.
  
  From first to last frame RDJ carries this movie on his shoulders. As Chaplin he is funny, sharp, melancholic, and on screen he looks almost identical. His height, body and face as Chaplin is so convincing that I was shocked. In an interview on Inside the Actor’s Studio, Robert Downey Jr. said that while preparing for his role, he watched all of Charlie Chaplin movies. This effort payed off in 1993 when RDJ was nominated for an academy award for Best Actor in a leading role.
  
• 2. IRONMAN (2008)
  
  The story begins with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) who is in war torn Afghanistan, captured and wounded by a terrorist group. In order to gain his freedom Stark must make a missile for this terror group, which of course he refuses. During his convalescence, a fellow prisoner and a doctor named Yinsen, implants an electromagnet into Stark’s chest to keep him alive. Over the days they build an arc reactor and an armored suit to support the electromagnet implant.
  
  After a deadly battle, Tony manages to escape from Afghanistan, only to find that his company is supplying weapon to the terror group. Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) who is the business head at Stark Industries, is secretly funding this terror outfit and he wants to kill Stark.
  
  Pepper Potts, Rhodey and Nick Fury stand with Ironman to defeat Stane in this entertaining saga.
  
  Initially the studio heads and Stan Lee, the creator of Ironman, wanted Tom Cruise to play the lead role. But as fate would have it, Downey gave an impeccable audition and made Ironman an iconic character. For a decade he played the role of Ironman in various marvel movies and it’s this character that has made him a global megastar that he is today. After Avengers: End Game, RDJ bid farewell to Ironman, and there is no clue if he’ll ever return for this role.
  
  Personally, I cannot think of any other actor who can play Ironman apart from RDJ and for me he’ll forever be Tony Stark.
  
• 1. OPPENHEIMER (2023)
  
  
  
  An epic drama about American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, and how he came to develop an atomic bomb. Set during world war II, U.S. is in a race to end the war and the only way to do this is via a powerful bomb. Oppenheimer is assigned the secret task to build this powerful weapon, with the help of other scientists.
  
  Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) is the antagonist and the nemesis of Oppenheimer. He has no remorse and no morality when it comes to building a destructive weapon. He is a powerful government official who is manipulative, impatient. and untrustworthy. When Oppenheimer refuses to develop a powerful hydrogen bomb, Strauss gets angry and he leaves no opportunity to sabotage Oppenheimer’s life.
  
  The movie is a true masterpiece in every aspect. Direction, sound, writing, casting, and acting is flawless. I found the editing a bit loose in some scenes. But apart from that, the movie is entertaining and a must watch for Cillian Murphy & Downey’s greatest performance. For his portrayal as Lewis Strauss, Downey received his first Oscar, as a Best Supporting Actor.